Tuesday, October 21, 2008

This is a totally boring post, but for those who have wondered, fretted or inquired, we have NOT selected a new digital camera yet. Well, let me clarify, we have taken into consideration the many folks who have suggested the Canon, but we have yet to drag our bodies out to the store to actually purchase one! ;0So, for now, the frustration mounts as more and more memorable events take place... and I have no way to capture them! AGH! So how long will I be able to hold out before the insanity completely breaks me down!? Who knows?!? I may actually start drawing "the moments of our lives!"

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Before I forget... Jaiden had a "good one" last night.The setting: Jaiden and Sean were playing "Kung Fu Panda" on the XBox, and Sean was attempting to get Po, the panda character, out of a certain area of the game (a martial arts dojo "training room" that was set up with maze-like levels, catwalks, cages, rope bridges, etc.) He missed the way out of the room and had to move Po around and around the upper level to get back to the correct spot.The quote: Jaiden laughed at him and said, "PC... you're just running around in squares!"The result: Sean and I looked over at one another and busted out laughing. She was exactly right!

Until I get a "real" camera... (you can view a previous post for details... What camera? (A call for HELP!) ... and give me your camera suggestion!), I guess I'll have to continue to play around with the camera built into my MacBook! And I will have to continue to use all the fun picture settings...I can't help it! It's FUN! ;)

Thursday, October 9, 2008

For those parents (or Disney fans) who haven't yet discovered Heartland's Disney pasta (with fun character shapes like "Mickey & Pals"), let me just say that this stuff is awesome! It looks cute, but it TASTES great, too. (In fact, I like this brand better than most others out there... and it's a "good source of whole grain!")The reason I bring this up is because last night we had our fun neighbors over for dinner... for Mickey pasta (or Baked Mickeys... or Mickey-roni... whatever you want to call it). YUM! It's an easy recipe, and it's one of those almost-tastes-better-heated-up-as-leftovers kind of dishes.So I am sharing the simple "recipe" in case you need a fun, easy meal. (This is kind of like a baked ziti recipe... but with Mickey-shaped noodles... oh, you get the point!)

INGREDIENTS:* 1.5 to 2 lbs. ground beef (your choice -- I usually get what's on sale at Winn Dixie!)* 1 tsp. salt (or to taste)* 1 tsp. black pepper (or to taste)* 1 T. oregano (or more, if you'd like)* shredded mozzarella cheese (oh, about 1-2 cups, depending on how much you like cheese!)* 1 jar Prego sauce (Prego roasted garlic and herb is my favorite... you can try a different brand or your own sauce, too)* 1 box Heartland pasta (Disney characters are optional, I suppose! BTW: The only place I've found this pasta thus far is Wal-Mart.)

(You can mix in some garlic, onion, peppers and/or Parmesan cheese as well... depending on what y'all like and what sauce you're using...i.e. if I use the traditional Prego sauce, I often add in a tsp. or so of garlic powder.)

DIRECTIONS:* pre-heat oven to 350 degrees* brown ground beef (along w/ salt, pepper and oregano) in a pan, chopping to desired size (some like to "hide" the meat, while others prefer more of a meatball-sized chunk)* cook pasta as directed* mix browned meat, shredded cheese, sauce and cooked pasta in a large glass baking pan (ungreased)* bake for 35-45 minutes (the longer you bake it, the more of a "crunch" you'll get to the top and sides... some love this... while others don't, so it's up to you!)

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

I admit: it's been months now since I've had a camera. When I changed jobs in July, the amazing (and quite pricey) Canon SLR went back home to Arizona. So I've been borrowing Mom's digital (or even Jaiden's camera-- *yikes!) and "stealing" pictures from my friends... yes, and even from complete strangers on Flickr! That being said, we're now looking for a fairly simple, not-too-expensive digital camera. But I feel completely lost! (My other cameras are 35mm or advantix film... and the only digital I had in my possession was that $3,500 one!)So think $200-$300 range for now. Start small. We're throwing around (well, not literally) the Nikon Coolpix, the Canon PowerShot and the Sony Cyber-shot... but I'm open to any thoughts and suggestions!HELP!

Thursday, October 2, 2008

I saw a fellow blogger post something about peas... and that got me thinking....When Jaiden was about 3-ish, I started making very determined attempts to get her to eat her fruits and veggies (both of which she had decided at some point she did NOT like anymore).SO, thus began a new -- and harried -- feeding routine. I would prepare some chicken nuggets or Spaghettios (VERY nutritious entrees) with a small side of vegetables. When I gave her peas, I usually placed 5 peas on her plate. She would frown and pout while eating her favorite food items first. And then the crying would begin. Not just whimpering. Full-out sobbing... along with the very loud, "I don wanna eat dem... I don wanna....WWWAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH--haaaaaaaaa."My response? A very calm: "Eat the peas, Jaiden. I'm waiting. We'll sit here all night if we have to."And often times, we did.I'm not sure who is more stubborn or determined between the two of us, but I would roll peas at her for hours and tell her to eat them, between loud, angry sobs, of course. (Well, HER loud, angry sobs... not my own!) And -- eventually -- she would kind of squish them into her mouth, while crying, and then kind of gag on them while reaching for the few drops of milk she'd have left in her sippy cup.It was a 10-step program just to down ONE LITTLE PEA! Kind of like this: 1. pout... 2. pick up pea... 3. squish pea into mouth... 4. hack... 5. cry... 6. gag... 7. sob...8. sniffle...9. gag some more... 10. drink milk...FIVE hours later (no lie), the peas would be gone. (Yes, do the math: that's one pea per hour!) And my sobbing, red-faced, dribbly-snot-nosed little girl with squashed peas all over her fingers would perk up, grab a toy or a book and smile, contentedly, like nothing had ever happened.Just a little peas...and quiet.

(BTW: I did not take that great pea picture... so kudos to the clever photographer!)

About Me

I am a full-time wife to an amazing husband and a full-time mom to a beautiful daughter, little boy and baby girl... and I have a home-based business with Uppercase Living and work part time to help keep our lawn business up and running. (Yes, if you are out and about, that's me, the tall blond on the Walker mower!) In a nutshell: I am a busy -- but VERY HAPPY -- gal! :)

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So... if you're bored with your blog, make yourself a note that I do a little bloggy design work on the side! For a small fee, you pick the colors and/or scrapbook elements, and I can put together the background, main header, buttons, etc.!Here are a few examples (besides my own personal blog, of course)!* Oaklyn Hills Event Committee Blog* The Neat Get Neater